


Please Don't Make Me Go

by HomeForImaginaryFriends



Series: 13 Days of HQ Halloween pt2 [9]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Growing Up, Growing Up Together, Hunters & Hunting, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, Vampire Hunters, Vampires, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 06:36:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16403174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HomeForImaginaryFriends/pseuds/HomeForImaginaryFriends
Summary: Kuroo Tetsurou hadn't even known vampires were real until a group of them killed his family, where he was then rescued and taken in by a group of hunters.  He carves out a little corner for himself but everything goes terribly wrong with a single death.





	Please Don't Make Me Go

  


Kuroo’s entire life came crashing down on him when he was ten.  A group of vampires attacked his family and would have killed him too if it weren’t for the hunters rescuing him.  It was too late for his family but they had taken him back to their compound and given him a safe place to be while he tried to put himself back together.  He hadn’t just been shy or quiet, he didn’t speak at all for nearly his first year living there. But there had always been a boy who had been by his side, filling the silences when it became too loud for Kuroo to handle or letting it rest between them when Kuroo needed it.

 

Anyone between the ages of five and twelve slept in a large room together.  At first Kuroo thought he’d never be able to fully adjust. Yet he found a quiet companion in Shimizu, he shared a mischievous kinship with Sugawara, a compassionate ear in Azumane, and a confidant in Michimiya.  Then there had been Sawamura Daichi, the boy who had slipped into any role Kuroo needed. He was his protector when Kuroo first arrived, sticking up to even the adults because Kuroo couldn’t find it in himself to do so.  He helped train Kuroo, getting him up to speed when most had been training to be hunters since they could walk. The friendship they shared had always been easy, even when Kuroo thought he was too broken to be close to anyone ever again.

 

When children in the compound turned thirteen they were broken up in their own age group and shared a slightly smaller room.  Shimizu and Michimiya put up a partition to give themselves a little more privacy but mostly it had always stayed open. Training stepped up, hits were no longer pulled and they started to go out on patrols with the older hunters.

 

Kuroo thought perhaps he had given too much of himself away during those years, broadcasting to anyone that wasn’t him that he had developed more than just friendship with Sawamura.  It had only seemed to be a crush, particularly harmless, but when they turned 18 and only had to share a room with one other person. Kuroo was assigned with Sugawara while Azumane and Sawamura bunked together.  Kuroo thought of bribing, or perhaps blackmailing the gentle giant into switching rooms but then Sugawara had asked, with a wide grin on his face, why exactly Kuroo wanted to share a room with their future fearless leader?

 

The excuses dripped off Kuroo’s tongue in a rapid-fire manner that betrayed the importance of the question.  Because they were friends. Well so were Azumane and Sawamura and Sugawara and Kuroo, they were all friends and their rooms were right next to each other.  Because Kuroo felt safest with Sawamura. As true as that was when they were children, it didn’t really justify the switch. Kuroo was more than capable of protecting himself at the age of 18, plus no attack on the compound had ever happened within the 154 years it had been standing.

 

Sugawara’s grin plagued Kuroo’s mind.  Kuroo wasn’t used to feeling kept out the loop, he was very much on top of things.  He had learned early on that physically it was going to take many years for him to match skill set with those in his same age group and even then, it was unlikely to ever happen.  Despite what had happened to him when he was a kid, he just didn’t have the killer instincts bred into the hunters whose families go back generations. So Kuroo depended on his mind instead while honing his body.

 

The air left Kuroo’s lungs as his back met the mat beneath him, Sawamura was on top of him a split second later before he could gain his bearings and he was pinning Kuroo down with a deep frown etched into his handsome face.

 

Handsome?

 

Well, it was true enough and something a friend would notice about another friend.  Yet something nagged at Kuroo deep in his mind, perhaps it was how often he thought about how good looking Sawamura was.  That might not be normal, some might even say it might hint at something deeper. Considering how much he thought about it, in class or walking down the halls or even when Sawamura’s cheeks were rounded as he shoved more food in them-

“Tetsurou?  What are you doing?”  Sawamura asked, knee digging into Kuroo’s side as if he had noticed how far off Kuroo’s mind had wandered.  “Buck me off, do something.” Sawamura glanced away, looking over at their instructor who was too busy yelling at the younger kids to see Kuroo’s lack of defensive moves.  It was the perfect time to do something, as Sawamura had instructed since he was distracted.

 

But-

 

“Maybe I like being pinned down by you?”  Kuroo said in a tone much more befitting a confused student asking the teacher to explain how to do a complicated maths problem for the third time.  Sawamura looked down at Kuroo, brow furrowed.

 

“Is this some new technique?  Are you going to flirt your way out of trouble with vampires because let me tell you, it needs a lot of work.”  But Sawamura’s cheeks were redder than they were a minute ago and it could be due to the warm gym or their training but Kuroo thought, no hoped, it was something else.

 

“Uh guys?”  Azumane’s hesitant voice came from their side, where they had garnered the attention of their fellow peers.

 

“Are you going to do something or just stare deeply into each other’s eyes until Ukai yells at you?”  Sugawara asked with that same mischievous grin that had caused all this in the first place.

 

“Kiss kiss kiss,” Michimiya chanted while clapping her hands.

 

“Yui do you want to fight?”  Sawamura asked, shoving away from Kuroo and mock kicking him in the stomach on the way up.  Kuroo grunted for show and rolled over to watch Sawamura stomp towards Michimiya who laughed and held her hands up in tight fists.

 

“Yes.”  Michimiya said truthfully, a big grin on her face.

 

“You better square up then!”  Sawamura charged and they all watched as they fought, neither one losing their edge for a moment.

 

“Why are you four just laying about?”  The younger Ukai asked as he walked into the gym before looking over at Sawamura and Michimiya.  “Michimiya put-” He sighed as he rubbed his eyes. “Put Sawamura down. No don’t throw him-”

 

Later that night Kuroo lay down on his bed and steepled his fingers over his chest.  Sugawara sat on the edge of his own bed, facing Kuroo and balanced a notepad on his crossed legs.

 

“How are we doing this week Kuroo?”  Sugawara asked in a mock serious tone.

 

“Well doc, I was doing good until this utter monster who I used to consider my friend made me question my entire existence and then I sort of hit on another person I considered just a friend and then our other friend piledrived him into the floor.”  Kuroo wiggled his toes as he thought about the long lecture the older Ukai had given them when he realized they were messing around, then he made them run laps until they physically couldn’t anymore, and now the most Kuroo could move were his toes, which hurt.

 

“Tell me about this monstrous friend, they sound amazing.”  Sugawara only laughed as Kuroo groaned loudly and used the last of his depleted strength to turn his head and glare at his so-called friend.  “Why are you stressing? It’s not as if these feelings you have just developed.” Sugawara tossed his notebook onto the floor. The other teen was amazingly messy.

 

“Don’t I have to do something?  Like confess?” Kuroo felt his face screw up at that last thought, he didn’t need Sugawara’s snort to tell him how odd he sounded.

 

“You don’t have to do anything ya dingus.”  Sugawara reached out to flick out the light before shimmying down underneath his blankets.  “Daichi will always wait for you.”

 

Kuroo’s heart pounded wildly in his chest before settling down as he acknowledged that.  Kuroo didn’t exactly know what he was feeling and he didn’t want to examine it too closely at that point in time, but Sugawara was right.  Sawamura would wait until Kuroo was ready, whenever that may be.

 

“Did you just call me a dingus?”  Kuroo asked into the silence of their room.  Sugawara had clearly fallen asleep while Kuroo was absorbing the realization that his life didn’t have to change unless he wanted it too.  “Suga, wake up. Suga! Did you call me a dingus? A dingus Suga? A dingus!”

 

Yet just because Kuroo wasn’t ready to do anything like confess, or really to admit even to himself that his feelings for Sawamura went a little deeper than just a crush, didn’t mean that Kuroo couldn’t flirt and tease Sawamura in new and suddenly interesting ways.  Kuroo got such a myriad of reactions out of Sawamura just by changing the tone of his voice or moving a little closer to the other teen. He found the line between them and made sure to strictly never cross it, but he enjoyed dancing along the side of it. Sometimes Sawamura got flustered and stormed off, sometimes he got adorably confused, but the best times were when his own mischievous grin appeared on his face and he teased back.

 

It wasn’t all good times in the compound and out of it.  As they grew older they were expected to take on more responsibilities and they went out on patrol more often also.  The older Ukai wanted them to work as a singular unit, he and the other older hunters acknowledged that they would be taking over sooner rather than later.  But until then they were taken out a single or in double units instead of as a group.

 

Whenever one or two were sent out on assignment the rest gathered in one room to wait it out.  Even at lights out they stayed together, breaking a rule when usually all of them followed them without complaint.  Those days and nights were the most difficult for Kuroo, the twisted bodies of his family showing every time he closed his eyes.  Yet they always morphed into whoever was missing.

 

Kuroo tried to concentrate on the good.  Like the way Shimizu always ran her fingers through his hair when he was stressed, ever since they were children she would do this.  The older he got the more he recognized how precious those moments were. Shimizu didn’t really join in on physical contact like the rest of them did, she maintained her distance and everyone respected that.  Yet she had small moments where she let them close and Kuroo knew she did this for his comfort rather than her own.

 

Michimiya was always there for encouragement, clasping Kuroo’s hands and helping him revive his broken ego whenever he felt as if he had failed.  She knew how it was to fall short sometimes but she always brought herself back up, and she loved to do the same with those around her. Kuroo had lost track of how many times they spent extra time in the gym, working on moves the others had mastered hours before and keeping each others spirits up.

 

Soft spoken Azumane was full of anxieties and doubts, but he would break bones for the people he loved.  Kuroo counted himself lucky to be one of those loved ones. When the memories played a bit too vividly in Kuroo’s mind and he thought he might break from the weight of them, Azumane would just sit by him.  Sometimes for hours they would just sit in silence, Azumane a solid warmth that slowly dragged Kuroo back to the here and now.

 

Sugawara loved trouble and digging up dirt on everyone around him, even more he loved sharing it with Kuroo.  There was nothing malicious or cruel about the other teen and he always seemed to sense when Kuroo just needed to be out of his own head for a while.  Sugawara would suddenly burst into whatever room Kuroo had isolated himself in and drag him around the compound, stealing treats from the kitchen or helping their juniors train.  Until the tension Kuroo hadn’t even realized he was holding released him and he could breathe a little easier.

 

Sawamura had always been there for Kuroo, his entire family had been.  His parents had been the ones who rescue Kuroo from the wreckage and carnage his house had become.  His father had scooped Kuroo up and shielded him from the bodies strewn about. Sawamura’s mother had told Kuroo that if he didn’t want to speak, that was fine.  And little Sawamura Daichi had taken his hand and introduced him around and really, he hadn’t let go of his hand since. Sawamura was always a strong presence, not just in Kuroo’s life but he had the privilege of watching the other boy grow into a pillar of their community.

 

Yet still, Kuroo worried when they were gone.  He knew they did the same when he was out on patrol but he hardly worried about himself the way he worried about the others.  He didn’t allow his mind to wander when he walked with the other hunters, he used everything he was taught to stay calm and collected, letting old worries and fear fall away from him.

 

It was supposed to be a routine patrol but the vampires came out of the shadows like something from a nightmare.  Kuroo should know, most of his nightmares revolved around these death-causing creatures. It hadn’t been the first time he had seen vampires since his family was attacked, he was able to keep his wits about him but they seemed to be coming out of nowhere and at an alarming pace.

 

Kuroo had been dislocating a vampire’s shoulder when he saw something flash behind him.  He managed to turn his body enough that it wasn’t a direct hit but he felt the blade dig into his side, he kicked out but the vampire in front of him had seen the distraction and used it to his advantage.

 

Vampires were faster and stronger than the average human, especially those who have just freshly fed.  All of Kuroo’s training had been directed from a point of view of someone weaker taking on multiple enemies.  Years of it pounded into his head until it was like second nature to him. Yet mostly vampires didn’t attack with weapons, because they were stronger and faster there wasn’t really a need for it.  The ones attacking them had come prepared.

 

Kuroo managed to dodge three more thrusts of the knife but it planted his back firmly towards his second attacker.  Luckily  Sawamura Kouji had dispensed of his own vampires in time to assist Kuroo take care of the two ganging up on him.

 

The next moment happened in only the span of a couple breaths.  A woman’s scream cut through Kuroo’s intense focus, his mother's own begging filling his ears distracting him for a precious moment.  Kuroo was shoved to the ground not by an enemy but by the older Sawamura, Kuroo turning his head just in time to see the vampire tear his mouth away from Sawamura’s neck.  Kuroo let out an anguished cry, shoving himself up from the ground and tackling the vampire just as Sawamura fell to his knees, clutching his neck.

 

It was only a couple moments later, two or three minutes at the most until all the other vampires were taken care of.  The entire fight had lasted less than ten minutes but as two other hunters rushed Sawamura’s body while the others kept watch they all came to the same conclusion even before he was checked for a pulse.

 

They wrapped the body and made their way back to the compound, not acknowledging their own wounds and aches even after they were safely inside the walls.  Both Ukai’s were waiting there as usual, their eyes zeroing in on their own family member who was carrying the covered body. Kuroo stayed back as the hunters moved forward, exchanging quiet words that were quickly broken when Sawamura Kouji’s wife walked into the courtyard.  Her eyes landed on Kuroo and he looked away, ashamed of his own reaction but not able to change it. She always cooed over him when he came back, she wasn’t allowed to go on patrols with either Kuroo or her own son because they believed she would put herself at risk for either of them.

 

Kuroo slid into the shadows, running away and feeling like a coward for doing so.  He replayed the fight over and over in his mind, the moment where everything went wrong.  Why hadn’t he turned back to Sawamura after he had killed the vampire? He should have applied pressure to the wound, Sawamura Kouji had bled out while surrounded by people who could have helped him.  Kuroo had seen what had happened, he should have-

 

Kuroo found a dark corner of the compound to crawl into, feeling like he was ten years old ago.  The vampires had left him alone purposefully, he knew that now. They easily smelled him out, heard the frantic beating of his heart, smelled his fear and they liked that.  They were saving him for last, like desert. He had listened to them slaughter his family one by one, heard his mother beg for all their lives, offered up her own willingly in exchange.  He had seen the bloody carnage afterwards, the sheer brutality of the act committed against the Kuroo’s.

 

People constantly reminded Kuroo that he couldn’t have done anything to prevent his family's murder.  He had been too young, he hadn’t even known vampires existed let alone how to properly fight them. Neither had his family, none of them had stood a chance let alone a small, defenseless child.  But Kuroo wasn’t defenseless anymore, he was strong and quick and clever, or at least he was supposed to be.

 

When Kuroo’s mind got tired of playing his family's death it switched to Sawamura Kouji and when that got old it morphed the elder Sawamura’s face into his sons.  It wasn’t difficult, Sawamura Daichi was the spitting image of his father. The same height and build, at the age of twenty Sawamura Daichi was filling out in the same way his father had.  Not too tall but built with muscle, not even to slow them down but to make them deadly. Erase some of the lines, the gray hair, and a few scars and Sawamura Kouji could pass as his sons brother.

 

Fingers curled around Kuroo’s and his head jerked up, staring into the dark eyes behind a pair of thin wire framed glasses.  Shimizu squeezed Kuroo’s numb fingers, he hadn’t even realized he had pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.  He felt numb all over, feverish but cold at the same time.

 

Shimizu pulled Kuroo out of his spot with soft prompts instead of words or pulling.  He came willingly because he wasn’t sure what else to do. Her face looked pale in the dim lighting of the classroom Kuroo had hidden himself away in.  His knee slipped on something and he looked down to see a dark puddle had gathered near him, soaking into his pants.

 

“We’re going to the medical ward, okay?”  Shimizu spoke soft and slowly, gently pulling Kuroo out of the classroom and down the hall.  Most of the lights were out, Kuroo had developed a limp and the more he walked, the more a stabbing pain shot from his side.  “I think he’s in shock.” Kuroo hadn’t even realized they had arrived at the medical ward until Shimizu spoke once again.

 

Kuroo didn’t want anyone touching him but he allowed Shimizu to peel off his shirt, sticky with blood from a wound Kuroo barely remembered getting.  She handled cleaning up the wound and stitching him back together, Kuroo stared up at the ceiling and willed himself to be somewhere else.

 

Sawamura Kouji had rescued Kuroo, he had given Kuroo a place to belong and a purpose in life when Kuroo had felt lost in the world.  Sawamura Satomi had cared for him, she had made him feel comfortable and made sure he knew he didn’t have to go out and fight his nightmares.  Sawamura Daichi had befriended and waded through the murky darkness that surrounded Kuroo, time and time again to pull Kuroo out.

 

The elder Sawamura had not only been the ground beneath his family’s feet, but the entire compound depended on him.  People came to him with their problems because they knew he would solve them no matter what. The children looked up to him, the teens trained to be like him, and the adults trusted him.  The compound had taken Kuroo in because the Sawamura’s had vouched for him, they treated him like one of their own. They fed and cared and put a roof over his head.

 

How had Kuroo repaid all of them?  By taking their foundation away from them.

 

Kuroo found another dark, unused corner of the compound and camped out there.  He felt deeply ashamed of himself for hiding, he hadn’t done so since he was a kid and things became too overwhelming for him.  But here he was, hiding in the exact same spot he had when he was 10 years old even though he was an adult now. He couldn’t handle the looks on others faces.  Did they regret taking in that kid all those years ago?

  


It was several days later when Kuroo was sitting on his makeshift bed, shoved into a dark corner that he heard approaching footsteps.  His entire body tensed but there was nowhere to hide or run and he didn’t even attempt to as the door swung open and Ukai Keishin came in carrying a tray.

 

“You know I don’t remember consenting to having children and yet here I am, a whole shitton of them.”  Ukai muttered as he put the tray on the old table pressed up against the wall. He leaned back against the table to look down at Kuroo, who managed to hold his eyes for an eighth of a second before looking away.  “You know you used to do this when you were little, gramps wanted to pull you out and make you do chores. Kouji though, he’d say just let the kid be, he’ll come out when he’s good and ready. Thought it was pretty smart but now I’m not so sure.”  Because Kuroo had gotten into the bad habit of hiding in dark spaces when life got too tough, his shoulders tensed from the insult but it wasn’t as if he could deny it.

 

“So are you here to try it your grandfather's way then?”  Kuroo finally asked when the silence got too much for him.

 

“Are you shitting me?  As if I could pull you out of here when you were ten, let alone now.  I’d probably pull or permanently damage something.” Ukai rubbed his back as if he were 75 instead of 40.  “Kouji was never really sure what to do with you. He didn’t want to overstep his boundaries but one look at your pale chubby face and we were all goners.”  Kuroo rubbed at his face, wondering what Ukai was up to. Then it became obvious, he was trying to get Kuroo to open up.

 

Part of him wanted to but part of him was still that scared little kid, afraid of stepping on the wrong toes because he didn’t really have any roots here.  He had no family, no connections and he had thought over the years that he had built those up. Yet he was no longer sure of that.

 

“You know Minaho blames herself, she’s never been too found of Kouji so she thinks if she had put aside those feelings she would have fought a little harder to defend him.”  Ukai said, throwing Kuroo completely off. He ran through the fight in his mind.

 

“Ono was on the opposite side of us, she couldn’t have done anything.”  Kuroo automatically defended her.

 

“Try telling her that.”  Ukai shrugged. “Tashiro blames himself also, he was closer to you and he thinks if he had just been paying closer attention.  Everyone blames themselves and no one else, especially not Kouji despite the fact that he was the most experienced hunter there.  He was fully capable of knowing what he was doing, it was why the council won’t let him patrol with Daichi, the same rule will be there when Daichi’s younger siblings will be old enough to patrol.”

 

“I’m not his family.”  Kuroo said through a throat gone suddenly thick.

 

“Maybe not by blood but by everything that actually mattered you were.”  Ukai crossed his arms. “You’re lost in your own misery, you’re guilty and holding all the blame to yourself-”

 

“If I had applied pressure to his wound-”

 

“Then you’d probably be dead too.”  Ukai interrupted Kuroo instantly. “You take this loss in but don’t let it swallow you whole Tetsurou, you’re stronger than that.  Kouji is dead, no amount of guilt is going to change that. So you know what you do?” Ukai crouched in front of Kuroo, refusing to let him avoid eye contact any longer.  “You take care of yourself, you eat and you train and you use that big brain of yours and you protect Daichi in a way that Kouji can’t any longer. You take your time though, no one is going to come pull you out against your will.”  Ukai patted Kuroo’s leg before walking out.

 

Kuroo stumbled to his feet before sitting on top of the table, turning the tray towards himself and starting to eat.  Even as tears blurred his vision and streamed down his face, he ate. He let out a sob but bit back the others as he continued to eat.

 

Things didn’t return to normal after that.  Kuroo still remained in self isolation but he ate all the food Ukai brought him and he spent his nights retraining his body in the empty gym.  He made sure to clean up after himself before heading to the showers, ignoring the sting of the wound in his side as hot water pelted him.

 

Kuroo dressed before sitting on the bench, draping a towel around his neck so his still wet hair wouldn’t drench his shirt.  Drying his hair made him feel unbelievably lonely so he always left it for last. Sawamura would always tell Kuroo off for not drying his hair properly and Kuroo, being a smartass, would shoot back that if Sawamura didn’t like the way he did it then why didn’t he do it himself?  Of course Sawamura wasn’t the type to let a direct challenge like that go, he stomped over and roughly rubbed the towel over Kuroo’s hair until Kuroo complained about the rough treatment making him go bald. Sawamura would snap out another insult but his hands would gentle and he always rubbed lightly behind Kuroo’s ears, making him want to press into Sawamura and do something embarrassing like purr.

 

Kuroo pressed the edge of his towel against his eyes, fighting back the memories and the wave of loneliness and guilt that flooded him.  He knew he needed to stop running away but he was terrified that making that step might end something that was so precious to him.

 

The door opened and Kuroo quickly dropped the towel before glancing over, his heart picking up double time at the figure standing in front of the door.  It had only been a week but it felt like years to Kuroo as he stared at Sawamura, taking in the unusually pale skin and the darkness clouding his eyes.

 

Sawamura strode forward and Kuroo flinched back at the sudden action.  Kuroo’s eyes dropped from Sawamura’s look of surprise, watched as his fingers curled into fists.  The flinch had been involuntary, despite Sawamura’s legendary temper he never would harm anyone unless he was defending himself.  Kuroo found feel an apology die on his tongue because it wouldn’t be enough, he knew it wouldn’t be and his stomach was twisting itself up in knots the longer they existed in this horrible limbo.

 

Sawamura moved, slower this time and Kuroo sat still and stiff on the bench.  Sawamura’s hands came up, tugging the towel over Kuroo’s head and hanging in his eyes before he began to rub the towel against Kuroo’s hair.  Sawamura’s hands were rough with callouses, all of their hands were the same and they were used to the rough shoves and the kicks to the back of their knees but there was none of that roughness in Sawamura’s movement.  He was soft and careful, fingers pressing against his head with the barest of pressure that it all made Kuroo’s eyes heat up, his throat felt suddenly thick.

 

“Please stop avoiding us,” Sawamura’s request was loud in the silent locker room even though he was barely speaking above a whisper.   “We need you Tetsurou. I need you.” His voice had dropped even lower with the last three words, making Kuroo strain to hear over the towel covering his ears.

 

It wasn’t anything Kuroo had expected to hear, especially coming out of Sawamura.  If anyone had come after him he thought it would be Shimizu.

 

Kuroo leaned forward to wrap his arms around Sawamura’s waist, almost sobbed right then and there when he felt Sawamura’s own arms wrap around his shoulders and neck, leaning down to curl slightly over Kuroo.  It meant everything but it didn’t seem to be enough, so Kuroo pulled Sawamura forward until the other man was sitting on Kuroo’s lap, legs on either side of Kuroo’s hips with both of them holding on like their lives depended on it.

 

Kuroo shuddered against Sawamura, managing to hold his tears back until he felt Sawamura tremble against him and the wetness on his shoulder.  Kuroo squeezed his eyes shut and held onto Sawamura tighter and they stayed like that for a long time. Long enough for Kuroo’s legs to go completely numb under Sawamura’s substantial weight, for both of their tears to stop and dry, for their hearts to sync up and light to touch the window.

 

Sawamura moved away first and Kuroo felt a sense of panic but he allowed the other man to stand up and almost started crying once again when Sawamura took his hand and pulled him into a standing position.  Kuroo tried to rub the feeling back into his legs, enjoying the narrowing of Sawamura’s eyes a little too much but he still kept any words to himself. He knew not everything had been solved and he still felt on shaky ground.

 

Sawamura pulled Kuroo along, depositing Kuroo’s towel into the bin before walking out of the locker room.  It was still too early for anyone to be wandering about but Kuroo knew how quickly that would change so he was glad when Sawamura wasted no time in walking to the living quarters.  As they passed their juniors dorm room they could hear the always energetic and new addition to the compound, Hinata Shouyou squawking out indignant noises while Kageyama threatened bodily harm and Tsukishima told them both to shut up.

 

“It’s early.”  Sawamura’s voice cut through the noise, ending the argument as they probably waited in terror for Sawamura to storm in with orders to do five laps around the compound if they were already so full of energy.  But Sawamura continued on down the hall, to the room he shared with Sugawara.

 

Sawamura walked in, fingers still curled around Kuroo’s.  Kuroo was only slightly surprised to see the rest of their friends curled up on two mattresses pushed together on the floor.  Shimizu was sleeping on Sugawara’s bed, off the floor but she was curled up on the edge, hand hanging down next to Michimiya’s shoulder.  Sugawara slept next to Michimiya, whose legs were tossed over his own. There was a gap where Sawamura had clearly laid and then Azumane slept on the other side.

 

Sawamura nudged Azumane, waking the other man up who glanced over at Kuroo with a sleepy nod but no real surprise on his face before making room for both of them.  Sawamura pulled Kuroo down next to him, Kuroo’s back pressed against Azumane’s sleep warm one. They laid down facing each other, close but no longer touching.

 

Kuroo met Sawamura’s dark eyes, didn’t see any of the hate or disgust he had been picturing in them.  There was a deep well of sadness in the brown depths but he was studying Kuroo like he was missing something.  Sawamura then slipped the pillow out from beneath his own head and plopped it over Kuroo’s head, remembering from when they were younger than Kuroo always slept with his head in between two pillows.

 

Sawamura pulled a blanket over both of them, his fingers then curling into the fabric of Kuroo’s shirt before he relaxed fully, almost drifting off immediately.  Kuroo pressed a little more against Azumane, felt the solid warmth of all his friends and the people he loved completely around him and felt himself relax for the first time in a week.  After that sleep came rather easy, knowing they would be there in the morning and they could work anything else out then.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is a prequel to this story https://archiveofourown.org/works/13840902 if you're interested, it's set about 4-5 years after this story ends but there's no need to read it to understand this one.


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